Hummingbird migration underway in the US: Here's when they'll reach your garden
Birds are migrating to North America as temperatures rise and food become more readily available. And one fast-feathered bird has already arrived in part of the United States.
The ruby-throated hummingbirds are on their way back to the eastern U.S. after spending the winter in Mexico and South America. Here is when to expect to see them as they fly north through May.
Hummingbirds are on the move, and soon, these fast-feathered birds will be fluttering through gardens all across the eastern and central United States.
After wintering in Central and South America, ruby-throated hummingbirds begin their migration to the United States, arriving along the Gulf Coast in early March, according to Mississippi State University Extension Service. They gradually spread across dozens of states east of the Rocky Mountains throughout the spring.
By early April, hummingbirds are expected to arrive in areas from Virginia and North Carolina to Kansas and Oklahoma. As the calendar flips to May, they will have spread into the Northeast and Midwest, thousands of miles away from their wintertime roosts.
How to prepare your garden for hummingbirds
Filling a nectar feeder with sugar water is commonplace for folks who are trying to attract hummingbirds, but that isn't the only source of nutrition they seek out.
"Hummingbirds actually need a variety of food types. Insects are another important source of food, especially during the nesting season. They consume spiders and many types of flying insects," Mississippi State University said on its website. "Because of this, it is very important not to use pesticides on plants when providing for the needs of hummingbirds."
A Ruby-throated hummingbird hovers at a feeder at the Pages' home in North Yarmouth. (Staff photo by Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Lily, fuchsia, honeysuckle and azaleas are a handful of plants that flower in the springtime that attract hummingbirds. They can also help to provide the birds with shelter and a place to nest.
"Most hummingbird flowers are tubular in arrangement or shape, scentless, brightly colored, and easy for hummingbirds to hover around," Mississippi State University said.
The more plants the better when it comes to getting the attention of hummingbirds, and they can be just as helpful as bees because pollen stuck to their feathers can help to pollinate plants in bloom.
A ruby-throated hummingbird feeds from a salvia flower. (Mike Bons/Getty Images)
